NUFORC UFO Sighting 192316
Occurred: 2025-09-07 21:30 LocalReported: 2025-09-08 04:44 Pacific
Duration: 10 minutes
No of observers: 2
Location: Santa Cruz, CA, USA
Location details: I saw it from my back yard and it was hovering in the sky, probably over the ocean.
Shape: Star
Color: White
Estimated Size: About the size of 10 airplanes
Viewed From: Land
Direction from Viewer: South (above Monterey Bay)
Angle of Elevation: 45
Heading: Up, down, diagonal, side to side.
Closest Distance: 2 miles - but hard to tell because it was so big
Estimated Speed: At first fast, then slow
Explanation: Drone - Certain
Characteristics: Aura or haze around object, Emitted beams, Electrical or magnetic effects, Animals reacted
It moved up and down and side to side unlike any aircraft I’ve ever seen. The brightest light. Looked like a dandelion shaped star.
I first saw it from my window. The bright light and oddly quick movement caught my peripheral vision, as I never see anything fly from my window. I’ve also never seen one before, but immediately knew it was a UFO. I grew up next to LAX and have seen all sorts of aircraft. This was nothing like I’ve ever seen. My husband and I ran out to the back yard. I tried texting my neighbors pictures while watching it and the texts didn’t go through. It was incredibly bright, appeared to be coming from above the ocean (2 miles from my house). It moved up and down, side to side, and hovered in one place for a few minutes, before dipping down in the distance and the houses behind mine blocked our view. It was like a big bright white star, circular, like a stick drawing of a dandelion flower.
INVESTIGATION REPORT
Witness: M and her husband/husband wasn't interviewed
On 9-28-2025 at 2:30pm PST, I contacted M by phone regarding her UAP sighting on 9-7-2025 at 9:30pm PST. M stated that she was in her residence when she saw a bright light go by her window. M added that it was a very bright light in the shape of a dandelion and it appeared to be floating in the air. M then stated that she called for her husband to come with her to their backyard to see the light.
M stated that the light was hovering about 2 miles from her residence which she said put it over the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. M then stated that neither of them heard any type of noise coming from the light. She added that she tried to text her neighbors to see if they could come outside, but her phone didn't work. M stated that the light floated in the same area for approximately 10 minutes, and then it slowly went down out of sight.
Conclusion
After my interview with M, I contacted the city manager's office for Santa Cruz. I was informed that the Santa Cruz boardwalk is a busy and popular place for police drone training, and also drone practice for their popular drone shows. The person I spoke to was sure that what M observed was one of those drones. I could not find any other reports of a UAP for that evening, and M stated that none of her neighbors saw the light that evening. I am classifying this as a drone sighting.
Keith Bickford
NUFORC investigator
Posted 2025-09-20